Baumea namedafter Antoine Baume (1728–1804), a French chemist and inventor. Acuta from the Latin 'acutus' meaning sharp or pointed.

Distribution:

Found on Kangaroo Island, southern Mount Lofty Ranges and the lower South-east in South Australia, growing in swamps and damp heath on open sandy soils. Also found in Western Australia, Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria and Tasmania.

Status:

Native. Uncommon in South Australia. Uncommon in Queensland. Common in all the other states.

Dark red to black, ovoid to ellipsoid nut to 3 mm long and 2 mm wide, smooth and shiny surface.

Embryo type:

Capitate.

Seed collecting:

Collect whole heads that are brown, containing dark hard seeds. Not all heads will contain seeds.

Seed cleaning:

Place the heads in a tray and leave to dry for one to two weeks. Then rub the heads with a rubber bung to dislodge the seeds. Use a sieve to separate any unwanted material. Store the seeds with a desiccant such as dried silica beads or dry rice, in an air tight container in a cool and dry place.

Seed viability:

From two collections, the seed viability were high, at 100%.

Seed germination:

This species is generally difficult to germinate, it has morphophysiological dormancy and complex germination requirements.

Seeds stored:

Location

No. of seeds(weight grams)

Numberof plants

Datecollected

Collection numberCollection location

Datestored

% Viability

Storagetemperature

BGA MSB

6700 (10.5 g)6700 (10.5 g)

100+

11-Apr-2006

DJD456South Eastern

28-Jul-2006

100%

+5°C, -18°C

BGA

3300 (5.4 g)

200+

4-Apr-2007

DJD787South Eastern

1-Aug-2007

100%

+5°C, -18°C

Location: BGA — the seeds are stored at the Adelaide Botanic Gardens, MSB — the seeds are stored at the Millennium Seed Bank, Kew, England.Number of plants: This is the number of plants from which the seeds were collected.Collection location: The Herbarium of South Australia's region name.% Viability: Percentage of filled healthy seeds determined by a cut test or x-ray.